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"The Providential Hand Of The Incarnation" • 12.20.20 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro
- This morning, we mark an incredible moment in redemptive history, namely the moment when God added humanity to His eternal deity. Theologians call this "the Incarnation."
- We consider this against the peace of that night, the quiet as the "cattle" lowed, the beauty of the night sky illuminated by an unusual star, all the while, God's glory is obscured by an infant's skin!
- God's greatest move against Satan's plot to destroy mankind was made and less than half a dozen people even knew about it as it happened! This is the definitive move in an ages long conflict.
- When Satan stood against humanity and enticed them to disobey their Creator, to turn from trusting the Fatherly heart of God, to satisfying their own desires, God made a promise.
- Satan would bruise the Seed of the Woman's heel, but that same Seed would crush His head! This was the moment when that plan took on personhood!
- As Matthew looks back, he reveals that there has been a steady hand, a series of calculated moves that have brought us right up to the night of the Nativity.
- God deposited Himself in a human body and would be the final weapon of Satan's final destruction! Look at how Matthew frames the movement of God toward the act of the incarnation.
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I. The Preservation Of The Line Of Christ (v.1-17)
- I will spare us the reading of each of the 40 descendants named here, but I will ask you what it is that you think you see? Why is it here? What purpose does it serve?
- For you and I as Gentiles, this is seemingly irrelevant and certainly uninteresting. This is not the case for the Jews. The conversation about the Messiah is moot with roots!
- Geneologies were vitally important to the establishment of the identity of the Messiah, who had to descend from Abraham, Judah and David.
- Nobody today can legally claim to be the Messiah of Israel, seeing that those records were destroyed with the Temple in A.D. 70.
- The Lord's human genetic relationship was readily available to Matthew. When you look closely, you will recognize names that are famous, indeed synonymous, for their faith.
- Abraham. David. Hezekiah. Unfortunately, for every act of faith that they are famous for, there is an equal act of failure that comes to mind.
- Abraham was a liar. David, an adulterer. Hezekiah was a King infected with pride late in his reign. There is faith, but there is also great dysfunction!
- Among regular people, these actions are sinful. Among those who have been given the promise of Messiah, these actions are potentially devastating to the plan of God in salvation!
- Consider for a moment the life of Judah, the one whose very tribe will be responsible for bearing the Messiah. After the episode with Joseph, Judah seemingly leaves his kin.
- Where does he end up? Married to a Canaanite woman! She is no proselyte to the Jewish faith. In fact, Judah's children with her all bear Canaanite names! What in the world is Judah doing!?
- I'd encourage you to read Genesis 38 on your own and see there the faithful actions of Judah's daughter-in-law, which essentially saves the purity of Judah's line of succession!
- You and I will look through western eyes and judge Tamar for dressing up like a prostitute in order to lure her Father-in-law into impregnating her, but Judah renders his own judgment.
- "She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her Shelah my son." (Genesis 38:25)
- What seems scandalous in our eyes, was a last ditch effort of Tamar's for God's righteousness to prevail. That is probably why she is tagged by Matthew here.
- These individuals are dysfunctional, but then, there is also the disobedience of Christ's nation! King David was Israel's best King. After his reign, the results were spotty at best.
- We traveled through the book of Kings a few years ago and it was not often that we came upon exemplary moments.
- There were Kings who served the Lord's interests in their generation, only to cede the throne to a person that reversed every previous righteous directive! For example, note verse 10.
• Matthew 1:10 : "Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah." : Hezekiah and Josiah were two of the most righteous Kings for the nation of Judah in it's latter days. Mannasseh and Amon however, set new standards for wickedness!
- Manasseh even repented in his old age, but it wasn't enough to turn from sacrificing more and more to idols. (II Chronicles 33:23)
- As the throne went, so went the nation, easily turning back to idolatrous ways and practices.
- It got so bad that the Lord commanded Jeremiah three times to cease praying for the nation. (Jeremiah 7:16, 11:14, 14:11)
- God told Jeremiah that the nation was so bad, it wouldn't be saved even if Moses and Samuel stood before Him! (Jeremiah 15:1)
- He adds Noah, Daniel and Job to that list in Ezekiel 14:14! This nation that carried the promise of the Prince of Peace, could not be bothered to truly walk in the ways of their Lord!
- They were chosen by God. They had the laws of God, the Priesthood and the Kingdom! With all of these advantages, they failed to live faithfully.
- It is the story of mankind, who may have great intentions but aren't equipped with the engine!
- Even so God preserved the nation until it was best for her to be scattered as a final measure of discipline. And even then, God preserved His promise!
- Look at verses 11 and 12. There is Matthew following the Messiah's line into Babylon, in exile! How many nations have survived such an ordeal? How many promises come from rubble?
- Can you believe the fact that the people of Israel were not only able to preserve their culture and language, but were eventually able to re-enter their land, not once, but twice!
- The Babylonian captivity took place in 586 B.C. The Jews re-entered their land in 1948 and took Jerusalem as their capital in 1967!
- The preservation of Christ's lineage can only be attribute to divine interevention! When you look to the end of it, I hope you understand Matthew's point. Verse 17.
• Matthew 1:17 : " So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations." : When you look at this geneology, from now on, I pray that you see continuity, a faithfully unbroken line!
- The promised One survived His dysfunctional descendants from Abraham to David.
- God preserved His promise despite His disobedient nation, from David to the captivity. And, most unbelieveably, from the ashes of a scattered people until reaching Mary and Joseph!
- But if you think that was a safe place to emerge, you'd be mistaken. We have seen the preservation of the line of Christ. Look now at the . . . Verse 18.
II. The Protection Of The Life Of Christ (v.18-20)
• Matthew 1:18-20 : "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.'" : Of all the ways that the Messiah could enter into humanity, He chose the way that is common to us all!
- Jesus was "born." He came into this world through the birth canal of a human woman! He endured the traumas endemic to the birthing process! One can hardly imagine!
- The King of all glory confined and adhered Himself to the uterine wall of a young virgin!
- "Someone affluent for sure!" Nope. Poor, unknown. "Certainly in a major market!" Not really! Bethlehem in out in the country and Nazareth was a bit of a rest stop!
- But then, you will note the drama that attended this birth. "After His Mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph." Betrothal is equivalent to our engagement, but is far more difficult to break.
- It would take public legal proceedings and a strong, even life threatening reason to end the relationship. One of those reasons would be sexual infidelity.
- This is where the next phrase comes in: "Before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit!" Uh-oh! That is not only a scandalous proposition. It's a death sentence!
- The penalty for a woman caught in adultery was stoning. According to historians, such a woman would be placed in a box of manure up to her knees and then stoned till she was face down.
- When Mary disclosed her pregnancy to Joseph, the Bible tells us that she had already been prepared and instructed. The angel Gabriel visited her and revealed God's plan to her.
• Luke 1:30-35 : "Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.' Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?' And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.'" : Listen to how extensive Mary's knowledge was. She knew about her own virgin conception, the Child's Name and place in history.
- She knew her Son would be the King that was promised to David! He would reign forever and ever! When you read further, into Mary's Magnificat, she knows that her child is her Savior!
• Luke 1:46-49 : "And Mary said: 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name." : That's quite a lot of information to share but none of that was disclosed to Joseph!
- Matthew informs us that Joseph was her husband as well as a "just man." That is, he was a man that sought to do what was right in the sight of the Lord.
- He wanted to act in accordance with His faith and in line with the character of His God.
- This led him to consider how he should respond to Mary's news. Imagine the ackward moments that this couple shared together.
- It was obvious that Mary was pregnant, but imagine, from Joseph's perspective, the gall that was necessary for Mary to announce to him that the baby "was from the Holy Spirit!"
- Joseph believes in God. He knows miracles are possible. He is sure that nothing is impossible for Him, but c'mon!
- Whatever he actually thought, it's obvious that he did not believe her but he couldn't bring himself to shame her either.
- Joseph did not want to make her a "paradigm" of infamy, but sought to "put her away secretly." He was willing to seek an under the table, quiet divorce.
- This is such a wonderful example, especially in light of our culture's current stands today.
- Today, such an event would not only garner scandalous attention, but Mary would be almost certainly "cancelled" before being publically executed!
- Joseph reveals the kind of heart that a godly person has. He doesn't want retribution or to advertise Mary's supposed sin.
- This man that has been chosen to be the "Stepfather" of the Lord shares in the heart of God the Father and will exemplify this same heart to God the Son!
- Our culture cancels at the first sight of sin but God's love covers a multitude of sins! (I Peter 4:8) For Joseph, this was the most humane thing to do considering the alternative!
- Joseph loved this young lady and his actions are motivated from what was best for her. That is the very heart of "agape!"
- Imagine him pacing the floor, racking his brain, asking God to provide some sign, some word of wisdom! Joseph was caught in the middle of something very delicate.
- The stress level was high and his options were limited and painful. That is when God dispatched a messenger to soothe him.
- An angel of the Lord, a messenger from the Lord brought a word of assurance to Joseph. "Don't be afraid to take to you Mary your wife!"
- The fact that the angel tells him signals the fear that had gripped his soul. How often in our lives will we hear the Lord say these same words to us: "Do not fear!"
God protected Mary's reputation and gave Joseph the information that he needed to guard her life. He knew definitively from God Himself, that this child was Divine!
- With one timely angelic visit, the Lord protected the life of His Son by saving the life of His Mother! Can you think of how many other scenarios God protected His Son from?
- Soon, Joseph will move his family to Egypt just before Herod kills every baby 2 years and under in the region. (Matthew 2:16)
- How many times did the Jews attempt to seize Jesus in the gospel records? His Father protected Him right up until it was time for Him to offer Himself for our sin!
- Along with that, please don't miss Joseph's peace that he fought to have! Because he sought the Lord and waited to act, he learned that Mary was telling the truth.
- He heard from God directly and was put at ease. Every Christian can know this peace if they are willing to wait to receive it! That brings us to verse 21.
- We have seen the preservation of the line of Christ and the protection of the life of Christ. Please see finally, the . . .
III. The Power Of The Name Of Christ (v.21-25)
• Matthew 1:21-23 : "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'" : After the angel provided the information that would protect Christ's life, he gets to introduce Joseph to the Name above all Names!
- "You shall call His name Jesus!" Joseph hears the very Name that connects him to every believer before and every believer after him! Jesus is the very center of redemptive history!
- When the angel tells him that he shall call His Name Jesus, he is telling Joseph that he is to take legal responsiblity for the child. He's going to be legally responsible for the Savior!
- "Jesus" is an English equivalent for the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name "Yeshua." Yeshua, when translated, means "God our salvation."
- This is why the angel says that He will save His people from their sins! That is the meaning of His name, the function of His mission, the purpose of the Godhead in Christ.
- His Name is the definition that will govern His life and ministry. Notice the certainty in those words: He will save or deliver! There is no question. There is no doubt.
- Jesus came to deliver us from our sins and that's what He has done by taking or bearing them upon Himself! Joseph has the privilege to hear of his own salvation from an angel!
- We get the privilege of sharing this same news to all that will listen! Christmast isn't about gifts give to one another. It's about THE Gift of salvation given to all that believe!
- Mary's pregnancy was a legitimate miracle and a fulfillment of one of the scripture's most vitally important prophecies of Christ!
• Isaiah 7:14 : "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."
- Scholars attempt to soften this by mentioning that "almah" could be young woman. Sadly, nobody told Matthew this because he uses the Greek word used exclusively for "virgin!"
- Mary is also unaware, as she confesses that she had never known a man! (Luke 1:34)
- Several obstacles presented themselves with regard to Christ's humanity. There is the inherent sin nature passed through the genes of the Father. There are disgraced Kings to bypass.
- God takes care of that by allowing Christ to adhere to the womb of a virgin woman!
- Immanuel. He was never called this, but it is a description of what men would say when they encountered Him! "God was with us!" Jesus would be with them physically but with us spiritually!
˚ "And God with us, through every action of our life, that we begin, continue, and end in his name. He is God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us, in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment; and God with us and in us, and we with and in him, to all eternity."
Adam Clarke
- When they heard that a virgin had conceived a son, this would be the sign that they waited for. Only God's own blood would be sufficient for the stain of human sin. Verse 24.
• Matthew 1:24,25 : "Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus." : What a night's sleep he had! Think of how he had gone to bed: Stressed out and not sure what to do.
- How often do we go to sleep with the very same emotions? How often will the believer be aroused from sleep, confident in the Lord's direction!
- Joseph understands that this will be a much more difficult road for him. He is to take Mary, this pregnant teenager, as his wife. People would look. They would theorize.
- They would form their own opinions of both Mary and Joseph. This makes Joseph's actions all the more impressive. He did as the Lord had commanded him, no matter the cost to his reputation.
- And notice that he did this without violating his commitment to the Lord.
- Joseph "did not know her till she had brought forther her first born Son!"
- "She's already pregnant, she's already his wife. Who would know?" The Lord would know and eventually, to engage in such activity, would increase the questions of the Lord's deity!
- Joseph knew that his and Mary's purity would eventually lead to their blessing.
- Joseph was a man who was willing to take the more difficult road because of his love for the Lord and His will. I pray that we take a long look at that example!
- When the Baby was born, a story of incredible circumstances itself, Joseph proclaimed proudly that the Child's Name was Jesus.
Conclusion
- The Incarnation speaks so powerfully to me of the faithful God that we serve. Think about it.
- When God's people were dysfunctional and His nation disobedient, God kept His Word and found ways to faithfully continue the course that He promised! That is the character of God!
- He won't give up! If He has promised you a salvation from sin and a hope of eternity with Him, remember that He preserved the line of Christ through worse!
- When God's Christ came into the womb of the virgin at a time when she could have been abandoned by her betrothed and stoned by her brethren, God sent His Angel to protect Him.
- From there, God protected His life to the very moment when Jesus stood on the Mount of Olives, fully surrendered to His Father's plan and His nation's betrayal.
- Our God is powerful enough to carry us through safely until that time when we leave this life and join His.
- Finally, when God wanted to provide a Savior for man's sins, He physically sent His own Son, who appeared in time, helpless in form, perfect in life, present in death.
- The Incarnation reminds us that if He physically appeared to deliver us from our sins, He will physically come again to deliver us from this Earth!
- On that night, only a privileged few knew of His arrival. When He was born, hope filled their hearts. When He comes again, every heart will know and every knee will bow before the Holy King!
- Christmas is a yearly reminder that what God promises, He brings to pass!
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